Harmonium 2017
Directed by
Kôji Fukada
Made by
Film Movement
Harmonium Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Harmonium (2017). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Toshio [Kanji Furutachi] and his wife Akie [Mariko Tsutsui] live with their daughter Hotaru [Momone Shinokawa] in a quiet, banal existence, with Toshio running a small machine shop in his garage. Life unfolds with an unremarkable rhythm until an old acquaintance, Yasaka [Tadanobu Asano], who has just been released from prison, arrives to help out and ends up staying as a kind of informal assistant.
Yasaka quickly forms a bond with Hotaru, guiding her through her early attempts at playing the harmonium and becoming a more visible presence around the house and the shop. Over time, Yasaka reveals to Akie that he spent eleven years behind bars for murder, asks for forgiveness for not mentioning this earlier, and his presence gradually shifts from outsider to a central figure in the family’s daily life. There is a growing undercurrent of attraction between Yasaka and Akie, and they share moments of closeness that hint at deeper romantic feelings, punctuated by a kiss on several occasions.
Toshio grows suspicious as the family undertakes a river trip, and the film gradually discloses that Yasaka bitterly bears the responsibility for the crime whose blame Toshio partly shared. A striking visual turn occurs when Toshio removes his white clothing to reveal a red shirt underneath, a mark that signals a darker turn for the remainder of the story.
When Toshio is away, Yasaka oversteps boundaries by attempting to have sex with Akie, who firmly pushes him away. He then goes for a walk and encounters Hotaru. Later, Toshio discovers Hotaru injured and unresponsive, with Yasaka standing over her. Yasaka shouts Toshio’s name repeatedly, but he cannot respond as he is absorbed in his daughter’s condition. Yasaka exits and disappears.
Eight years pass, and Toshio hires a new assistant, Takashi [Taiga], a young man raised by a single mother who shows interest in the now-disabled, non-verbal Hotaru and sketches her. Akie becomes fiercely protective of Hotaru. Takashi reveals to both Toshio and Akie that he is Yasaka’s illegitimate son and that Yasaka was a yakuza member, explaining that he sought employment with Toshio because of letters Yasaka had sent to his mother before his disappearance. After Takashi stands too close to Hotaru, Akie ejects him from the house.
Akie then confronts Toshio about his involvement in the murder, and he admits that he helped restrain the victim while Yasaka strangled him. Later, Toshio receives a tip about Yasaka’s location, and he and Akie, along with Takashi, pursue a plan to kill Yasaka in front of his father. Takashi offers himself willingly, but Toshio and Akie reject the notion. The tip proves false, as the person they confront only vaguely resembles Yasaka.
Having reached her breaking point, Akie takes Hotaru to a bridge. After an image of Yasaka appears on the bridge and seems to smile, Akie and Hotaru leap into the water. Toshio rescues an unconscious Akie, while Takashi appears to pull Hotaru from the river — both of them unconscious along the riverbank. Akie regains consciousness, and Toshio desperately attempts to resuscitate Takashi, then Hotaru. The film ends with Toshio continuing to try to revive Hotaru, leaving both her fate and Takashi’s ambiguous and unresolved.
Harmonium Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Harmonium (2017) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Yasaka arrives to help at Toshio's shop
An old acquaintance, Yasaka, arrives to assist at Toshio's garage-based machine shop, disturbing the family's routine. Yasaka has just been released from prison and seeks a place to stay and work. The quiet domestic life begins to tilt as a new, unsettled presence moves in.
Yasaka reveals prison past and bonds with Hotaru
Yasaka discloses that he spent eleven years in prison for murder and asks for forgiveness for not telling sooner. He gradually becomes a bigger part of the family, particularly bonding with Hotaru through music and help around the house. This new closeness plants the seeds of trust and tension.
Romantic tension between Akie and Yasaka
Yasaka and Akie begin to feel romantic pull toward each other, and they kiss on several occasions. The evolving attraction creates a dangerous undercurrent in the household. Toshio remains oblivious at first, adding to the strain in the family dynamic.
River trip and growing suspicion
The family goes on a river trip, during which Toshio becomes increasingly suspicious of Yasaka's closeness to Akie and Hotaru. The trip reveals the undercurrents in the relationships and foreshadows later conflicts. The outdoor setting amplifies the emotional tensions.
Revelation: Yasaka's bitterness and Toshio's role
The film reveals Yasaka's bitterness about taking the blame for the murder, a crime in which Toshio participated. This memory adds moral ambiguity and distrust among the adults. The revelation deepens the potential for tragedy within the family.
Toshio's wardrobe change signals a shift
At a pivotal moment, Toshio removes his white clothes to reveal a red shirt, a visual cue that marks a shift in his demeanor for the rest of the film. The color change hints at escalating tension and potential violence. The domestic calm begins to unravel under this new sign.
Yasaka oversteps; attempted sexual advance on Akie
While Toshio is away, Yasaka oversteps his bounds and attempts to have sex with Akie. She pushes him away firmly, resisting the invasion of boundaries. The incident heightens the danger Yasaka represents and strains the fragile family trust.
Yasaka encounters Hotaru after leaving the house
Later, Yasaka goes for a walk and unexpectedly encounters Hotaru. The encounter foreshadows the later crisis and shifts the emotional balance of the household. The distance between the family members becomes even more precarious.
Hotaru is found injured; Yasaka nearby
Toshio returns to find Hotaru injured and unresponsive, with Yasaka standing over her and shouting Toshio's name. Toshio remains preoccupied with his daughter and does not respond to Yasaka's presence. Yasaka then walks away and disappears, leaving a haunting stain on the family.
Eight years later: Takashi becomes the new assistant
Toshio hires Takashi as a new assistant, a young man raised by a single mother who shows interest in Hotaru by sketching her. The household's dynamics have shifted with time, and Hotaru is now disabled, adding new complexity. The arrival of Takashi introduces fresh secrets and tensions.
Takashi reveals Yasaka's past and his parentage
Takashi confides separately to Toshio and Akie that he is Yasaka's illegitimate son and that Yasaka was a yakuza. He explains he sought employment with Toshio thanks to letters Yasaka had sent to his mother. The revelations deepen the web of family secrets around all characters.
Confrontation about the murder and confession
Akie confronts Toshio about his involvement in the murder; he admits that he helped hold the victim down while Yasaka strangled him. The admission shatters any remaining pretense of innocence and redefines loyalties within the family. The moral weight of past acts drains the present tense from the household.
Pursuit of Yasaka and a false tip
Toshio and Akie receive a tip that ostensibly locates Yasaka and decide to confront him, hoping to do so in his father's presence. They bring Takashi along, who offers to be sacrificed in their plan, but they reject the gesture. The misdirected tip foreshadows how fragile their pursuit is and how little control they have left.
Bridge tragedy: Akie and Hotaru's leap
Akie takes Hotaru to a bridge, and Akie imagines Yasaka smiling at her from there. She jumps into the water with Hotaru, but Toshio pulls Akie out unconscious while Takashi also pulls Hotaru out, both of them unconscious along the riverbank. The immediate family disaster reveals how far the situation has spiraled.
Ending: ambiguous fate
Akie regains consciousness, and Toshio frantically tries to resuscitate Hotaru, but their fates remain unresolved. Takashi's status and Hotaru's condition linger in uncertainty as the screen cuts away. The film ends on an uneasy note about what remains after such betrayals and loss.
Harmonium Characters
Explore all characters from Harmonium (2017). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Yasaka (Tadanobu Asano)
A recently released prisoner who inserts himself into the family’s life, bringing expertise, warmth, and a dangerous past. He bonds with Hotaru, sparks romantic tension with Akie, and slowly reveals the bitterness of bearing the blame for a murder. His presence blurs lines between caretaker, lover, and threat.
Akie (Mariko Tsutsui)
Toshio’s wife, protective of Hotaru, and a woman torn between affection and fear. She develops romantic feelings for Yasaka and confronts the truth about the murder, ultimately paying a tragic price as the family’s secrets unravel.
Toshio (Kanji Furutachi)
A machine-shop owner whose quiet life umbrellas a violent past. He struggles with guilt and complicity after helping in the murder, and his actions drive the family’s fragile dynamics as reality and memory collide.
Hotaru (Momone Shinokawa)
The daughter whose budding harmonium playing marks a focal point of family life. Her injury and later regression into non-verbal status become the emotional center of the tragedy, illustrating how innocence is endangered by adult secrets.
Takashi (Taiga)
The illegitimate son of Yasaka, raised by a single mother, who becomes entangled in the family’s drama. He learns of his father’s past, forms reluctant connections, and becomes a pivot for the story’s pursuit of justice and truth.
Harmonium Settings
Learn where and when Harmonium (2017) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Location
Japan
Set in a quiet Japanese town, the story unfolds largely within a family home and a garage workshop where Toshio runs a machine shop. The river and surrounding neighborhood provide the backdrop for pivotal confrontations, including a tense river trip and a fatal incident on a bridge. The setting emphasizes an ordinary, domestic life that is fractured by a dangerous past and hidden loyalties.
Harmonium Themes
Discover the main themes in Harmonium (2017). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Guilt
Guilt threads through the film as Toshio, Akie, and Yasaka confront the consequences of a murder they are tied to. Toshio’s quiet complicity and Akie’s complicity with the past reveal how a single act can corrode trust and shape present choices. The narrative keeps forgiveness precarious, showing how memory and secrecy continue to influence behavior long after the crime.
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Secrets
The plot is driven by concealed histories: Yasaka’s prison past, the hidden motives of family members, and Takashi’s discovery of dangerous familial ties. Secrets destabilize relationships and fuel suspicion, making every interaction charged with unspoken truths. The withholding of information becomes a tangible force that pushes the characters toward drastic actions.
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Family dynamics
The film examines how love, duty, fear, and guilt rearrange a family’s bonds under pressure. Protective instincts collide with dangerous desires, and the home becomes a site of tension rather than safety. The narrative traces how ordinary life can fracture when a concealed past intrudes, steering the family toward tragedy.
Harmonium Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Harmonium (2017). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In a modest town where the hum of machinery and the soft breath of a harmonium shape daily rhythm, Toshio runs a humble workshop out of his garage, crafting the delicate instruments that carry his quiet aspirations. He shares his life with his steady wife Akie and their shy, inquisitive daughter Hotaru, whose world is as measured and gentle as the notes they coax from the instrument. The family’s routine is a lullaby of ordinary moments—quiet meals, weekend river outings, and the patient, almost ritualistic care of the music they love.
When an old acquaintance, Yasaka, steps back into the picture after a long absence, Toshio offers him a place to help in the shop, hoping the fresh labor will also bring a sense of renewal. Yasaka arrives with an easy charm and a willingness to lend a hand, quickly finding his way into the household’s cadence. His presence ripples through the family, especially as he takes an interest in teaching Hotaru the basics of the harmonium, sparking a tentative bond that brightens the daughter’s quiet world.
The film’s tone lingers between warm intimacy and an undercurrent of unease, capturing the subtle shifts that arise when past histories brush against present hopes. The setting—sun‑drenched streets, the cluttered workshop, the river that frames the town—serves as a quiet stage where relationships are tested and unspoken tensions surface. Themes of responsibility, the fragile nature of second chances, and the delicate balance between friendship and duty emerge without ever losing the film’s gentle, contemplative mood.
As Toshio strives to rebuild his life and protect the modest peace he has crafted, the arrival of Yasaka invites both opportunity and quiet disruption. Their intertwined stories hint at the complexities that lie beneath seemingly simple choices, leaving the audience to wonder how far the chords of trust and redemption can truly resonate in a world where every note carries weight.
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